Six-card poker game

ABSTRACT

A live casino operated tables, games, video games, automated games with live players, or by having a dealer or banker provided with a casino table poker game utilizes at least one deck of playing cards, the game comprising: each player placing at least one wager to participate in the casino game; dealing a first number of cards to a dealer as a banker&#39;s hand, the first number of cards being greater than the number of cards to be used in determination of a poker rank hand for the banker&#39;s hand; dealing a second number of cards to each player, the second number of cards being greater than the number of cards to be used in determination of a poker rank hand for each player; the dealer discarding at least one card from the banker&#39;s hand to form a resulting single dealer hand; each player discarding at least one card to form a resulting player&#39;s hand for each player, wherein the number of cards in resulting player&#39;s hands and the resulting banker&#39;s hand are equal; and resolving each player hand against the banker&#39;s hand according to predetermined game rules. The initial player&#39;s wagers must be at least matched with a Game Bet (or play bet of I X or more of the Ante) to remain in the game after players have received their cards. The Game Bet multiple is selected by the player. The game may be a live table game or part of an interactive gaming system.

RELATED APPLICATIONS DATA

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/864,051, filed Jun. 8, 2004, which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/152,325 filed May 20, 2002titled: FOUR CARD POKER AND ASSOCIATED GAMES, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/016,436filed Nov. 1, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,759, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/249,118filed Feb. 12, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,823 issued Feb. 12, 2002,which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/170,092 filed Oct. 13, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,916 issuedMay 29, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/889,919 filed Jul. 10, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,641issued May 2, 2000, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 08/504,023 filed Jul. 19, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774 issuedNov. 11, 1997, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from UnitedKingdom Patent Application 94/26324 filed Dec. 29, 1994 and UnitedKingdom Application 94/14822 filed Jul. 22, 1994.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present described technology relates to the field of games, cardgames, wagering card games, player-banked games and especiallypoker-type casino wagering games. More specifically, the describedmethods and apparatus are an enhancement to a game of poker that may beperformed as live casino operated tables, games, video games, automatedgames with live players, or by having a dealer or banker provided with acasino table poker game.

2. Background of the Art

As a leisure time activity, poker and other card games have been popularfor many years. The capital requirements for playing poker and othertable card games are very low. All that are needed are one or more decksof cards, a playing surface and a few participants. Five card poker is agame that most people know how to play and many games have beendeveloped using the same basic priority or rank order of winning pokerhands: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush,Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and high card(s) in hand.

For some time, it had been difficult to adapt the rules of poker into acasino table game in which each player plays against the house, ratherthan against other players. Although club-type games with playerswagering against each other have been popular, it was desirable for agame to be played where the house received a more direct payback fromthe game. In a conventional poker game, a number of players (greaterthan one) are each dealt a poker hand by one player (or the house dealerwho does not play in the game) who acts as the dealer. The player withthe highest ranking hand based on the established priority ranking ofpoker hands wins. Each player in turn deals a hand as the gamecontinues. It is usually essential to have wagering steps in the game tomaintain the interest and excitement of the game. In the absence ofwagering, there is little to commend the play of poker.

Many places, both within and without the United States, have legalizedgaming. Poker is one of the games of chance offered in both casinos andcard rooms. In a conventional card room poker game, the house provides adealer, the playing cards, the table and chairs, but the house does notplay a hand. The house collects a nominal percentage of each player'sbet (“the rake”) that compensates the house for providing the facilitiesto the players. Alternatively, the house may charge each player a setamount per hand or for a specified length of time of play. Each playeris competing not against the house, but against all the other playerswith the highest hand winning the total of all the wagers made on thathand.

Many people do not like to play card room poker because each player iscompeting against his fellow players, not against the house. Many peoplewould rather attempt to win money from an impersonal source, the houseor the casino, rather than from their fellow players with whom they maybe acquainted. Card room poker also tends to not offer any bonuspayments for particularly good hands, although bonuses are sometimespaid for highest hands in tournaments or for specific combinations ofhands at poker tables (e.g., a losing hand of at least a full house).While a Royal Flush is a rare occurrence and generates a thrill for anypoker player, the player collects the same total payout that he wouldhave collected if the hand was won with a Three-of-a-Kind.

In the past fifteen years, a number of card games have been disclosed toprovide poker-type card games as house-banked casino table games. Thesegames have focused on a number of elements in providing excitement andstaying power for the games. The games must be quickly understood byplayers. The rules must be simple and clear. The resolution of wagers bythe dealer must be easily accomplished. The reading of hands by a dealermust not be complex. In addition, the games must provide a high enoughhit frequency to appeal to players, yet allow the house to retain aprofitable portion of the wagers. These needs have limited the number ofgames that have been designed and successfully introduced into thecasino gaming market.

Among the successful games are Let It Ride Bonus® poker, Three CardPoker® game and Caribbean Stud® poker. These games have each achieved ahigh level of commercial success with different formats and attributes.

Let It Ride® stud poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081. TheBonus version of the game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,424. Inthis game, the player makes a wager in three parts, three cards aredealt to each player (there may be only a single player), and two commoncards are dealt face down in front of the dealer. The player examineshis/her three cards, evaluates the likelihood of a ranked hand (e.g., atleast a pair of tens) being achieved with those three cards and the asyet unseen common cards. The player, based on judgment of thatlikelihood, may elect to withdraw the first of the three-part wager orkeep the wager at risk. Upon the player making that decision, andwithdrawing or allowing the first wager to remain at risk, a first ofthe common cards is turned face up. The player then can make anotherdecision with regard to the play of the hand and whether there is achanged potential for a ranked hand. A second portion of the three-partwager is then withdrawn or allowed to remain at risk. After thisdecision, the last common card is exposed, and the rank of each player'shand, including the common cards, is evaluated. Payments are made toeach player based on only the rank of hand achieved and the number ofwagers left on the table from the original three-part wager. As noted,at least one wager must remain, as only two parts can have beenwithdrawn. Wagers are paid off at rates (or odds), for example, of 1:1for pairs of at least 10's, 2:1 for two pairs, 3:1 for three-of-a-kind,5:1 for straights, 7:1 for flushes, 12:1 for full houses, 50:1 forfour-of-a-kind, 250:1 for straight flushes, and 1000:1 for RoyalFlushes. The specific payout odds can be varied and often casinos choosepayout tables that help them achieve a desired percentage hold. Sidebonus wagers may also be placed in which ranked hands overthree-of-a-kind receive fixed or progressive bonuses, such as $25,000for a Royal Flush. The bonus payouts and hand combinations are typicallydisplayed on a payout table on the table surface. The winning bonuscombinations are typically a higher-ranking subset of the winning basegame outcomes.

The Three Card Poker® game (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,685,774) deals three cards to each player and three cards to thedealer, all face down. Initially one or two optional wagers may be madeby the player. One such wager is for the “Pair Plus” bonus bet, a bet onachieving a winning combination included in a payout table. Anotherwager is the game ante on which the player competes against the dealer.The Pair Plus bet in one example of the invention is a wager that thethree card hand will have a rank of at least one pair or more. The handis paid off in multiples of the bet depending upon the rank of the hand,with up to 40:1 or more paid out for three-of-a-kind. In the ante wager,if the player wants to compete against the dealer's hand (after viewingthe rank of the player's hand), an additional wager equal to one or twotimes the ante must be placed by the player. House rules typicallydictate that the amount of the Bet is 2× the amount of the Ante. Thedealer's hand is then exposed. If the dealer does not have a hand of atleast a certain qualifying rank (e.g., at least Queen high), thedealer's hand is not in play. If the player has not made the additionalwager, the ante is collected by the dealer at some point in the play ofthe game. If the player has made the additional wager, the ante is paidoff to the player if the dealer's hand is not as high a rank as theplayer's hand. If the dealer's hand has qualified, and the dealer's handis higher than the player's hand, then the ante and the additional wagerare collected by the house. If the dealer's hand qualifies (e.g., atleast Queen high) and is lower than the player's hand rank, both theante and additional wager are paid off, with multiples payable to theante wager for certain high ranking hands (e.g., straights, flushes,straight flushes, three-of-a-kind, etc.). The ranking of the variouspoker hands is different in the three card game than in five card pokergames.

In Caribbean Stud® poker, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,533, a playermakes an initial ante wager, and five cards are dealt to each player andto a dealer. The dealer exposes one of the five cards to influence theplayer. The player decides if the dealt player hand is of sufficientrank to compete against the dealer's hand. The player may fold theplayer's hand at that time, or continue the game by placing anadditional wager (referred to as the “Bet”) that is usually required tobe twice the value of the ante. The dealer's hand qualifies for activeplay against the Bet with a rank of at least Ace-King. If the dealerqualifies, the rank of the players' hands are compared with the rank ofthe dealer's hand. Players with hands of higher rank than the dealer'shand win both the ante and the Bet. Players with hands of lower rankthan the dealer's hand lose both the ante and the Bet. If an initialside bet (often referred to as the Jackpot side bet) has been made bythe player, ranked hands of particularly high values (e.g., at least aFlush) are paid absolute bonus amounts or may be paid out of aprogressive jackpot. This bonus side bet is paid whether or not theplayer's hand rank exceeds the rank of the dealer's hand.

Potter et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,295 and 5,697,614 describe a casinotable card game and apparatus in which a player may select any number ofpredetermined hand ranking rules to apply to the play of a hand. Aplayer is dealt an initial, partial hand, and the player then electsfrom that initial hand which set(s) of predetermined hand ranking rulesapply to the hand. In a preferred game, the dealer receives two separatebank hands, one that utilizes the hand ranks of standard poker and onethat utilizes the hand ranks of low-ball poker. Once each player hasreceived four of his five cards, each player decides which of thedealer's two hands to play against, with the option of playing againstboth (as in selecting both ways in a Hi-Low poker game). Then eachplayer receives his or her fifth, and last, card. At this point, the“bank” hands are exposed and each player's hand is compared to thespecific “bank” hand, or hands, that they played against, winners aredetermined, and wagers are settled.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,827 describes another poker-type casino table cardgame. This game may be played at a table with as many as seven playerscompeting against a dealer. The play of the game is fairly complex, witheach player having both multiple hands and utilization of a dealer'scard. One method of play is to provide each player with three cards, andthe dealer is provided with four cards. The dealer's play of cards ispredetermined, while the players may select their desired holding.Player's hands are competing directly against the dealer's hand in eachof the hands made by the player and the dealer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,444 describes a method of playing a stud poker gamein a player-versus-dealer gaming table environment. A player places an“ante” wager whereupon he and the dealer receive a three-card portion ofa five-card poker hand with two of the dealer's three cards face up. Theplayer may then compare his partial three-card poker hand with thedealer's two up cards and exercise his option of either “surrendering”the original “ante” wager or placing an additional “challenge” wager toreceive the remainder of his five-card poker hand. After he and thedealer have received their entire five-card poker hand, an ordinaryshowdown takes place. If the player's poker hand beats the dealer's,then the house pays even money on the original “ante” wager and on thechallenge wager. In a preferred embodiment, the player must have atleast an ace high hand to prevail. In a further enhancement, the playermay also place an optional “side” wager at the time that the “ante”wager is made in order to receive a fixed or return for forming certainhands and, in particular, for spelling a word such as “VEGAS” usingletters carried by particular cards in an otherwise standard 52-carddeck. The “side” wager is paid to the house, along with the “ante”wager, in the event of a surrender.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,101 describes a poker game in which a player triesto form a five card poker hand that has the highest poker hand ranking.In the house banked version, all players play against the house and notagainst each other. The game is played with a standard fifty-two carddeck. The game consists of a dealer and from one to seven players. Eachplayer makes a bet and a portion of each bet may be allocated to aprogressive jackpot. The dealer deals five cards to each player. Thedealer then deals six cards as the community cards which are arrangedface down in three rows in a triangle pattern on the gaming tablelayout. The players may discard from none to five unwanted cards. Thedealer turns up the community cards and pre-designated groups of cardsfrom the community cards are used for each player to make a completefive card poker hand. The dealer determines the best hand each playerhas made according to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will bepaid by the dealer according to the odds listed in the pay table. Whenthe progressive jackpot payout is used, the dealer examines the sixcommunity cards to determine if one of the predetermined cardarrangements has occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressivejackpot are distributed to the players at the table. The method may alsobe played as a player banked game or as a pot game.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,448 describes a casino table poker game where adealer deals three cards to each player. The dealer then deals eightcards as the community cards which are arranged in groups of two each onthe gaming table layout. The card layout is in the format of adirectional compass with two cards each at the North position, Eastposition, South position and West position, respectively. At the Northposition, both cards are face down. At the East and West positions, onecard is face down and one card is face up. At the South position, bothcards are face up. Each player determines which one of the four two-cardgroups the player wishes to use to comprise his five card. The playeridentifies this selection by moving his wager to the correspondingcompass location on the player's betting spot on the gaming table layoutin front of the player. The dealer turns up the remaining communitycards and the dealer determines the best hand each player has madeaccording to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will be paidaccording to the odds listed in the pay table. When the progressivejackpot bonus payout is used, the dealer examines the eight cards of thecommunity cards to determine if one of the predetermined cardarrangements has occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressivebonus jackpot are distributed to the players at the table. Otherversions of the invention use different community card arrangements anddifferent numbers of community cards.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,340 describes the play of a casino table poker gamecomprising the steps of:

-   -   providing a plurality of players with the option of placing        initial wagers and indicating which one of a plurality of poker        games each of the players desire to play wherein different poker        games require different numbers of cards in order to complete a        hand;    -   the dealer providing cards to a plurality of players and to the        dealer, each player and the dealer receiving only one hand of        cards, wherein a first player receives a first predetermined        number of cards to complete a first poker hand and a second        player receives a second predetermined number of cards, wherein        the number of cards in the second hand is different from the        number of cards in the first hand, to complete a second poker        hand. The first predetermined number may be five and the second        predetermined number may be seven.

It is always desirable to explore alternative games for play in thefield of gaming tables to provide players with varied experiences andalternatives to known games.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The described methods and apparatus are an enhancement to a game ofpoker that may be performed as live casino operated tables, games, videogames, automated games with live players, or by having a dealer orbanker provided with a casino table poker game.

A casino table poker game is played with poker hands of playerscompeting against a poker hand of a dealer and/or against a pay tablefor achieving hands of predetermined rank. A player enters the game byplacing at least an Ante for direct competition against the dealer. Theplayer may also (optionally) place a Bonus Bet for the occurrence of ahand of at least a predetermined rank, the Bonus Bet being placed beforethe player has seen any of the cards dealt to the player. The player isdealt more cards than needed to form a poker hand, specifically theplayer being dealt 6 cards to make a final 5-Card poker hand. The dealeris also provided with more than the required number of cards, from whicha number of cards are selected for the dealer's hand to play, with thedealer being dealt specifically seven cards from which to construct abest 5-Card poker hand. The player is provided with bonus payouts (e.g.,multiple returns) on the Bonus Bet for ranked hands or a pair of Aces orbetter. The players' hands also compete directly against the rank of thedealer's hand if an additional play bet is placed to supplement theante. The additional play bet is effectively an election to remain inplay against the dealer's hand by making the additional play bet. Theadditional play bet may be varied by the player to be 1×, 2×, 3×, 4×, 5×or any multiple up to 25× the amount of the ante, or by house rules maybe limited to a specific multiple or range of multiples of the Antewager. Bonuses may be paid on both or each of the Bonus Bet and/or antewager with unusually high ranking player's hands (such as a straightflush or four of a kind), whether or not the rank of the player's handexceeds the rank of the dealer's hand. Pay tables may differ for rankedhands on the various wagers. That is a first pay table may be availablefor the Ante wager and a second pay table, which may and usually doeshave different odds, is available for the Bonus Bet. In oneplayer-banked form of the game, there is no Bonus Bet, and the Ante andadditional bets are combined by the dealer. Odds payouts are then madeon the combined Ante/additional bet when the player's hand beats thedealer's hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a gaming table layout suitable for play of thegame of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a prior art format for an automatedgaming system.

FIG. 3 shows an overhead view of a prior art format for an automatedgaming system.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a prior art format for an automated gamingsystem.

FIG. 5 shows a block schematic of the electronic configuration of aprior art animated gaming system.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a format for an automated gamingsystem according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a frontal view of a gaming engine useful in the practice ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic of a player station useful in the practice ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic of a preferred embodiment of a game displayuseful in the practice of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A casino table card game is played on a table by at least one player anda dealer. The dealer usually represents the house or the casino in theplay of the game. As shown in FIG. 1, wagering areas 10 are provided foreach player, and card receiving areas 12 are available for each of theplayers and the dealer. The wagering area may include three distinctwagering zones for each player comprising a Bonus wager area 14 (e.g.,the Bonus Bet wager), an Ante area 16, and a Bet area 18. To initiateplay of the game, at least one (and usually only one) deck of standardor variant playing cards is provided. In other forms of the game,multiple intermixed decks of cards, decks with wild cards or specialdecks (i.e., decks with certain cards removed) are used. Each player whowishes to enter the play of the game makes at least one wager selectedfrom the Bonus Bet 14 (or Bonus Bet) and the Ante 16. Typically, theAnte wager is a required wager and the Bonus Bet is an optional wager,and this would constitute one standard method of play. One or both ofthese wagers may be made. House rules may dictate that one or both betsare mandatory. The player may also play the hand blind (also referred toas the “House Way”) by placing both an Ante and an additional Game Bet18 (referred to in FIG. I as the “Play Bet”). After placement of the atleast one wager (and typically the Ante wager), each player who has madeat least one wager is provided with a number of cards, preferably sixcards, from which to select a best 5-Card poker hand. The cards may bedealt as a complete set of six cards into card receiving area 12 or inportions of one or more cards by the dealer, especially where anautomatic shuffler and dealing machine is provided, or the game isplayed on a fully automated gaming table such as the Shuffle MasterTable Masterm multi-player format gaming system. At about the same time,the dealer is dealt a number of cards exceeding five, and preferablyspecifically seven cards into dealer card area 20. In one example of theinvention, seven cards are dealt to the dealer, before or after thecards are dealt to the player. One or more additional cards can be dealtto the player, the dealer or both after the initial cards are dealt toform a final total of cards. The final total may be the six (playercards) or seven (dealer cards) previously identified. One or more of theplayer cards can also be dealt as common or community card, and acommunity card may even be used by the dealer. Specific ranks ofcommunity cards may become community cards for a player, for a dealer,or for both a player and a dealer. For example, a player might receivefive cards in his hand and one card in a community card-designated areaon the layout. Each player plays with is or her best 5-Card hand formedfrom the five-cards in the player's hand and the community card. If thecommunity card is a specific rank (e.g., less than a rank of 6, thatcard may be allowed to be used by the dealer in forming a hand, even inaddition to the cards dealt to the dealer, or may be available to thedealer under any circumstance. Or the player plays with the best fivecards, regardless of whether the hand includes one or more communitycards.

In a player-banked version, one of the players is the banker and allother players play against the player-banker's hand as if that playerwere the dealer in a standard casino table game. The dealer's hand ofcards is the banker hand, and the banker may or may not have cards inhis/her playing area while that player banks the game. The banker banksthe game with or without backup from another player or a commercialbanker.

Although in one example of the invention the dealer receives one morecard than each player, the number of cards dealt to each hand can beequal. What may be needed in one embodiment of the invention is thatenough cards are dealt so that at least one discard can be made.

A “player-banked” game operates with essentially the same rules as astandard casino table game, but a player is randomly selected thenelects or is elected to bank payments in a round of play, as if theplayer were the house. Various methods are used by casinos to choose abanker, including random selection, previous immediate winners, andtaking turns in order. For example, when a game is offered in aCalifornia card room, players bank the game. In order for players tofeel they can afford to bank a particular game, the payout odds must bekept low enough to prevent players from avoiding their turn banking thegame. The higher bonus payouts or jackpots are therefore preferablyeliminated in player-banked versions of the invention. Higher payoutodds are acceptable in a more traditional Las Vegas style casino wherethe house banks the game. Jackpot or super-bonus payouts are thereforeusually eliminated in player-banked games, or separate wagers of thejackpot type may be funded by side wagers to the house or to aprogressive jackpot.

In the player-banked version, the game is played as a method of playinga player-banked poker-type card game. Each player in the game and abanker places at least one ante wager to participate in the game. In oneform of the game, a five card poker hand is played. The players aredealt six cards (some of which may be community cards) and the bankerreceives seven cards. The player reviews the six cards received at thatplayer position and determines what best five-card poker hand can bemade from the six cards. If the player believes that the cards cannotform a five-card poker rank of sufficiently high rank to warrantcompetition against the dealer's hand (even without that hand or anyportion of that hand having been displayed), the player may fold thehand, refusing to place an additional wager. At this time or usually alater time, the Ante would be collected by the dealer. In one example ofthe invention, if the player made the Bonus Bet and the Ante bet anddecides to fold, the Bonus Bet is swept along with the Ante. In anotherform of the invention, if the player remains in the game by making thePlay Bet and the player's hand does not contain a hand ranking of a pairof Aces or higher, and a bet was made on the Bonus Bet wager, that wagermay be now or later collected by the dealer.

If the player determines that the rank of the best five-card poker handthat can be made from the six cards dealt to the player is sufficientlyhigh as to warrant competition against the dealer (or if the playerwants to ‘bluff’ against the dealer, particularly if the dealer mustqualify), the player makes an additional wager, referred to as a playbet or game bet. That additional wager may be multiples of the Ante,such as 1×, 2×, 3×, 4×, 5× up to 25× the amount of the original Ante, atthe option of the player and as defined by house rules. A preferredrange is from 1× to 20× the Ante wage for the range of the play bet.House rules may dictate the ranges of multiples that can be bet. Forexample, on high stakes tables, the house may allow higher multiples,while at lower stakes tables, smaller ranges of multiples may bepermitted.

In some examples of the invention, the game bet is limited to a specificamount or a specific range such as 1× or 1× to 5× the ante unless theplayer has a qualifying hand of at least a predetermined rank, such as apair of kings or better, for example. If the player's hand qualifies hehas the option of increasing his bet. Fractional amounts or largeramounts may be allowed, but they can complicate the payout or alter thehold for the house, so those changes are in the discretion of thecasino. After discarding excess cards and placing the Game Bet, orplacing the sixth card face down, or merely leaving the sixth card inthe player hand so that the hand may be arranged and ranked by thedealer or player when exposed, the player's hand is placed on the tablefor display. The dealer's hand is then revealed after each and everyplayer has determined whether or not the Game Bet is to be made. Thedealer compares the value or rank of his hand against the value or rankof each player's hand, usually in succession around the table, and eachseries of wagers (the Bonus Bet wager, the Ante and the Game Bet) isresolved. Ties on the rank of player's hands and dealers hands may bepaid to the player, called a push, or collected by the dealer, dependingupon the desired house advantage the casino wants to build into thegame. The dealer may either always qualify (a preferred method of playas shown in FIG. 1), or a level of qualification may be built into thegame (such as at least Queen high, at least King high, at leastQueen-Jack, At least King-Jack, at least Ace-King, or at least onepair).

Resolution on the wagers may be based upon pay tables 22 for the BonusBet wager, pay tables on the Ante (not shown), and/or the Game Bet 24.One preferred play of the game provides pay tables for one or more ofthe Bonus Bet wager 22, the Ante 24 and an automatic bonus payout on theante (not shown). The Game Bet and/or the Ante wager typically pays atleast or exactly one-to-one with a player win, but pay tables may beestablished within a range of discretion of the casino, varying amountdepending upon the percentage take desired to be built into the gamewhile still providing excitement and stimulation for the player. Thisdifferentiation is based upon the fact that with certain very highranking hands, the player would be at an extreme advantage in placing a5× Game Bet, assuring a very high multiple payout, with essentially norisk or little risk involved in the placement of the 5× Game Bet wager.The payout of wagers may be tailored by the casino by selecting paytables designed for greater player payouts or greater casino earnings.

Although a five card poker game is one form of the invention, the gamecould also be played with different numbers of cards, with differentnumbers of cards in players' and dealer's hands and different numbersand rules for community cards. There would usually be necessaryadjustments to the pay tables.

For example, in a five card game, the hierarchy of hands is as follows:

-   -   Straight Flush    -   Four of a Kind    -   Full House    -   Flush    -   Straight    -   Three of a Kind    -   Two Pair    -   Pair    -   High Card        A different number of cards in the card game or a different        number of decks might require a different hierarchy of hand        rankings.

There are many variations of the game that may be played within thescope of the present invention. The following variations on the formatdescribed above shall be described in a manner that should enable thoseskilled in the art to appreciate the expanded scope of play available,rather than considering any single described method as limiting theintended scope of the game.

Version I—Best 5 of 6 Cards, No Qualification, Dealer Gets Extra Card

Each player receives 6 cards, and the dealer/banker receives 7 cards.The players and the dealer/banker identify their best five card pokerhands. The players may rely upon the house for assistance, if needed.The dealer/banker always qualifies, that is, the dealer's/banker's handand any players' hands are always in play if the Ante bet is made andthe player makes a subsequent Play wager. Players have the choice ofplacing one or both of the Ante Bet and a Bonus Bet (e.g., the Bonus Betwager). House rules may require the player to make the Ante Bet, theBonus Bet, or both the Ante and Bonus Bet. The Ante wager is a wagerplayed directly against the rank of the dealer's hand, and the Bonus Betis a bet against a pay table. If after viewing his/her hand, a playerchooses to stay in the game against the dealer/banker (keeping the Antewager in play), the player must make an additional Game Bet to stay inthe game. This Game Bet may be, for example, between 1 and 25 (orbetween 1 and 4, or between 1 and 3) times the amount of the initialAnte wager at the option of the player. In other forms of the game, theplayer's Game Bet must be 1× the ante unless the player holds apredetermined qualifying hand, such as a pair of Aces or better. If theplayer has a qualifying hand, he can bet up to 25× the Ante. Preferably,the player must hold a pair of aces or better to win on the Bonus Bet(hence the name ‘Bonus Bet’). The Bonus Bet preferably pays a maximumreturn of 50:1, but payouts may theoretically be as high as 500:1 or2000:1 for certain hands, such as for a Royal Flush. The Bonus Bet sidebet game may or may not be present in the rules of the game. In thisexample of the invention, the game pays an automatic bonus for certainhigh ranking hands according to a payout schedule. This bonus is paid onthe Ante wager, and does not require the player to make a separate betto qualify for this payout, although the Play wager or Game Bet must bemade to stay in the game. For example, automatic bonuses are paid onthree of a kind, full houses, flushes, straights, straight flushes andfour of a kind. The automatic bonus could also be paid on the Game Betor the sum of the Ante and Play bets.

Version II—Best 5 of 6 Cards, Dealer Must Initially Qualify or RedrawEach player and the dealer/banker gets six cards to make the bestfive-card poker hand. If the dealer's/banker's hand does not equal orexceed a certain rank (e.g., a pair of 2's, pair of 6's, pair of 7's,etc. or better), the rules may be designed so that the dealer mustdiscard all cards and draws a new seven card hand, and then makes afive-card poker hand from the seven cards. Otherwise, the dealer playswith the original best seven of five cards dealt. The player must makethe Ante wager to be in the game against the dealer. After redrawing,and when redrawing is not required, the dealer/banker always qualifiesto play against the player. It is possible to allow the player orrequire the player to make the Ante wager 1) before the deal of cards,2) after the deal of cards but before any cards are revealed, 3) afterthe deal of cards and after the player has reviewed his cards but beforethe dealer/banker has exposed cards, 4) after the deal of cards and apartial or complete revelation of the dealer's/banker's seven cards (butbefore review of the player's cards), or 5) after the deal of cards anda review of the players' cards and a partial revelation or completerevelation of the dealer's/banker's five cards, which play might berestricted to where the dealer/banker has not qualified (but not afterrevelation of any seventh card). The player's hand may be required toexceed a minimum rank to bet more than 1× the Ante. For example, if theplayer has a qualifying hand of a pair of Kings or better, the playercan make a Game Bet of 1×, 2×, 3× or 25× the Ante. As with Version I,the rules can provide that the Ante bet is mandatory and the Bonus betis optional, the Bonus Bet (side bet) is mandatory and the Ante Bet isoptional, or both initial bets (the Ante and the Bonus Bet) aremandatory. The automatic bonus against a pay table on the Ante bet mayor may not be present in the rules of the game. The Bonus Bet game mayor may not be present, also in the rules of the game. In this example, apair of aces or better qualifies the player for a Bonus Bet payout of1:1. The automatic bonus pays even if the player's hand is lower in rankthan the dealer's/banker's hand.

Version III—Dealer and Player's Make Best 5 of 6 Card Hand, Dealer MustQualify to Play

The players receive six cards and the dealer/banker receives seven cardsto make their best four-card poker hand. The betting/wagering rules andprocedures are the same as in the previous versions, except for thoselisted below. Either the Ante is mandatory, the Ante or the Bonus Bet ismandatory, or both initial wagers are mandatory. The dealer/banker mustqualify to play (for example, with a hand of Ace-King high or better,King-Queen or higher, pair of deuces or higher, etc.). The automaticbonus side bet game against a pay table is present in the rules of thisexample of the game, although such side bets and bonuses are oftenexcluded from player-banked games and could be excluded here. Pay tableadjustments may or may not be made when excluding the side bet and bonuswagers.

If the player stays in the game, the player can bet between 1× to 25×the Ante if the player has a qualifying hand of a pair of Kings orbetter. Otherwise, the maximum Game Bet may be, but is not required tobe, limited to 1× the Ante. The lowest ranking hand that qualifies forthe bonus payout is selected in advance of the placement of all wagersand bets, and may be a pair of Aces or better, for example.

Version IV—Five Card Poker with Super Bonus

The dealer/banker is dealt seven cards and each player is dealt sixcards each. The cards are used to make the best five card poker hand bythe players and the dealer/banker. The hands are ranked according to thefollowing four card poker ranking schedule:

-   -   Straight Flush    -   Four of a Kind    -   Full House    -   Flush    -   Straight    -   Three of a Kind    -   Two Pair    -   Pair    -   High Card

Players can make a bet against the dealer/banker (Ante), a bet againstthe pay table (Bonus Bet Bonus Bet) or both. House rules may require oneor both bets to be mandatory. In addition, the players may or may not berequired to make a Super Bonus bet in an amount equal to or unequal tothe amount of the Ante in this example of the invention. In one form ofthe invention, the Super Bonus bet 26 is mandatory and is at least equalin value to the Ante.

Players place equal bets on the Ante and/or Super Bonus and/or Bonusspots on the layout. After viewing the cards, the player must fold orplace an additional Bet (play wager). If the player's hand does notqualify with a pair of Kings or better (or whatever predetermined rankis designed into the game), the player must bet 1× the ante to remain inthe game. With a qualifying hand of a pair of Kings or better, he canbet an amount equal to or multiples of the Ante, such as 1×, 2× or 3×the Ante, up to the approximate limit of 25× (or less or more) describedherein.

If the player has a higher ranking hand than the dealer's/banker's hand,the player is paid 1:1 on the ante and the play bet. If thedealer's/banker's hand outranks the player's hand, the player loses theante and the play bet.

The player has the option (or may be required) at the beginning of thegame to place a Bonus Bet. In this example of the invention, the playerwins a bonus payout for a pair of Aces or better, according to the paytable 22. If the player makes the Ante and Play bets and beats thedealer/banker, but does not have a pair of Aces or better, the playerpushes on the bonus bet. The player is always paid on the Bonus Betbonus bet, regardless of whether or not the player's hand beats thedealer's/banker's hand.

In addition, this example of the invention includes a mandatory SuperBonus bet 26 that is made in an amount equal to the ante 16. The playerwins a payout for certain high ranking hands such as a straight flush orfour of a kind. A pay table 28 is provided on the layout to identifywinning hands and payout amounts. These Super Bonus bets are not typicalof player-banked games and may be excluded or may be within theaward/play province of the house, card-room, State, commission or thelike, and not be controlled by the player/banker.

A failure to obtain a “Super Bonus” hand may or may not result in anautomatic loss of the bet. For example, when the player's hand againstthe dealer/banker does not qualify with a pair of kings or a straightflush or better, but the hand still beats the dealer/banker, the SuperBonus bet pushes. But, if the player folds on the ante or loses the anteand play bets against the dealer/banker, the Super Bonus bet is alsolost.

The Super Bonus bet is desirable in some instances where it is desiredto provide the house or the card room with more of an advantage. In thisexample of the game, removing the mandatory Super Bonus bet causes thegame to favor the player. However, other rule changes such as requiringthe dealer/banker to qualify, or raising the minimum qualification handranking when making the play bet are other means to shift the odds tofavor the house.

Version V—Player Banked Card Room 5-Card Poker Game

This game is a simplified version of traditional Five Card Poker. First,the “Aces Up” bonus bet is eliminated to reduce volatility in the game.The game must be less volatile in order to encourage the players to bankthe game. If the banker chooses to bank only to a certain amount, asyndicate banker may back up the hand. If no player wishes to bank thehand, the syndicate banker may act as banker.

The house is compensated by taking a percentage of the amounts wagered,a fixed fee per round or a fee per unit of time. Most commonly the housetakes a percentage of amounts wagered.

The dealer holds and manages the banker's hand. When the banker isbanking the game, all moneys lost go to the banker, and all monies wonare paid by the banker. If the banker's funds are limited and cannotcover all the action, the bets that are not covered are returned to theplayer, or are backed by a back-up banker, which is typically asyndicate banker, but could be another player. Alternately, thesyndicate banker may bank the entire game. The order in which theplayers are permitted to bank the game is determined by the house.Typically the player position is randomly selected and then players areselected in clockwise or counterclockwise order in future rounds.

As with the traditional game players receive six cards to make a bestfive card poker hand and the dealer/banker receives a seven card hand tomake the best five-card poker hand. The player must make a play wager tostay in the game. The play wager is 1× to 3× the Ante wager (or anyother allowed range), at the option of the player. Higher multiples ofthe Ante may be played such as 4× or 25× the Ante, although playerbacked games would not be likely to have such higher wagers allowed. Ifthe player chooses not to stay in the game, the player folds and losesthe Ante wager. There is no player qualification to increase the betabove 1× the Ante.

In this form of the game, once the Play wager is made, the dealer stacksthe Play and Ante wagers and the wager becomes one single wager. Mergingthe wagers into a single wager simplifies resolution of the wager forthe dealer. There is no dealer or player minimum qualifying hand in thisform of the game.

Whenever the player's hand outranks the banker's hand, the player winson the bets that are in action. If the rank of the player and dealer'shand is the same, players win. The typical payout is 1:1 on the Ante/Betcombination but there are exceptions. For certain high-ranking hands,higher odds payouts are paid on the Ante/Bet combination, rather than1:1 odds. Higher payout odds are only paid if the player hand beats thedealer hand. For example, if a player has a four of a kind (of 3's),while the dealer has a four of a kind (of 2's), the player wins, forexample, 5:1 on the Ante and Play wagers.

An exemplary series of pay tables for this form of the game is shownbelow: FORMAT I HAND SUPER BONUS PLAY BET Royal Flush 200 to 1 1× to 20×Straight Flush 50 to 1 1× to 20× Four of a kind 20 to 1 1× to 10× FullHouse 10 to 1 1× to 10× Flush 6 to 1 1× to 6× Straight 5 to 1 1× to 5× 3of a kind 3 to 1 1× to 4× Two pair 1 to 1 1× to 3× All other hands Push*1× to 2× Average Bet: 3.31 units House Edge 1.22%If Player beats or ties dealer

FORMAT II HAND SUPER BONUS PLAY BET Royal Flush 200 to 1 1× to 8×Straight Flush 50 to 1 1× to 8× Four of a kind 20 to 1 1× to 8× FullHouse 10 to 1 1× to 6× Flush 5 to 1 1× to 6× Straight 4 to 1 1× to 5× 3of a kind 3 to 1 1× to 5× Two pair 1 to 1 1× to 3× All other hands Push*1× to 2× Average Bet: 3.35 units House Edge 1.22%If Player beats or ties dealer

FORMAT III HAND SUPER BONUS PLAY BET Royal Flush 200 to 1 1× to 20×Straight Flush 100 to 1 1× to 20× Four of a kind 20 to 1 1× to 10× FullHouse 10 to 1 1× to 10× Flush 6 to 1 1× to 6× Flush 6 to 1 1× to 6×Straight 5 to 1 1× to 5× 3 of a kind 3 to 1 1× to 4× Two pair 1 to 1 1×to 3× All other hands Push* 1× to 2× Average Bet: 3.31 units House Edge1.10%*If Player beats or ties dealer

As can be seen from these percentages in the House Edge, with perfectplay the Player can play for extended periods of time and engage in acasino table game with one of the lower house edges for a casino tablegame.

Automatic bonuses may or may not be part of the game. Automatic bonusesmay be paid on the Ante/Bet or on the Ante, or on the Bet only forcertain high ranking hands. For example a 4 of a kind, a straight flushand a full house could pay automatic bonus odds payouts. Correspondingodds payouts are paid and are typically shown on a pay table printed onthe layout.

The play of the game may be completed manually on a non-electronic gametable, with the dealer using a physical deck(s) of cards, visuallyidentifying the amounts and positions of wagers, manually collecting andpaying out wagers, etc. It is possible to incorporate some degree ornearly an entire electronic system into the game table or into the playof the game. Such partial or complete electronic systems may performsuch tasks as identifying the existence of a wager (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.6,229,534; 5,337,973; and 5,377,994), or may provide virtual cards froman electronically stored deck of cards (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,915;and 5,897,436). The games of the present invention could also beexecuted on a multiple player gaming platform including a simulatedvirtual dealer, such as the device and system described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/179,748, filed Oct. 28, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.6,607,443 and U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 10/764,995; 10/764,994;and 10/764,827, each filed on Jan. 26, 2004. The content of these andevery patent specification and application specification is hereby andherein incorporated by reference.

The games of the present invention may be implemented as live tablegames, television or cable game show games, video poker gaming machineplatforms, hand-held games for play, multiple player interactivewagering platform games (with kiosk formats, single player screens,community screens, and/or banks of seats for players with a commondealer screen), cell phone games, games downloadable from the internet,parlor games, games executed on personal computers, palm pilots, playstations and the like. Each of the above game applications iscontemplated by the present invention.

A gaming system that can be used to practice the method of the presentinvention comprises a table and a dealer “virtual” video display systempositioned for view by players seated at the table. The table may seatat least two players up to the amount of players that can be configuredabout the table and have a view of the dealer video display system.Typically each gaming system will have at least four player availablepositions, with space determinations considered as to whether therewould be 4, 5, 6 or 7 player positions. It is possible to have acompletely circular dealer display (e.g., holographic display in acylindrical centerpiece) and have players distributed around the entireperiphery, but this is too dissimilar to standard play arrangements andcould slow the game down, as play should approximate that of a livegame, with players playing in sequence. A surface of the table willinclude a generally continuous display surface for showing all playerhands, community cards, dealer hands and any other cards used to playthe game for any purpose, and, where there are touch screen playercontrols, for displaying the player touch screen controls. A majority ofthe table surface comprises a video monitor in one example of theinvention. Where there are no touch screen controls, the table surfacemay include player control panels at each player station near thecontinuous display surface. The use of a continuous display surfaceoffers some significant advantages in simulating or recreating astandard card table surface. Cards may be readily viewed by otherplayers at a table, which is standard in table games and adds to playerenjoyment. Individual monitors, especially where slanted towards theindividual players make such table-wide card reading difficult. The useof the full screen (continuous) display also allows for better animationto be provided, such as displaying virtual images of cards moving to theplayer and “virtual” chips being placed on the table when wagers areindicated. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “virtual” means agraphical video representation of a real object or person, such as adealer, cards and chips, for example.

The individual player positions preferably have a separate intelligenceat each player position that accepts player input and communicatesdirectly with a game engine (main game computer or processor). Theintelligence is preferably an intelligent board that can processinformation. For purposes of this disclosure the term “intelligent”refers to the ability to execute code, either provided in the form ofsoftware or hardware circuits. Such processing may at least comprisesome of signal converting (e.g., signals from player card readers,credit deposit, currency readers, coin readers, touch screen signals,control panel signals) into a signal that can be included in aninformation packet and interpreted by the main game computer when thesignal is sent. Communication between the intelligence at each playerposition is direct to the main game computer and may be byself-initiated signal sending, sequenced polling by the main gamecomputer (e.g., each position communicates directly to the main gamecomputer in turn), timed communication, or any other order ofcommunication that is direct between the intelligence and the main gamecomputer.

One preferred form of communication between the main game computer andplayer station computers is by means of self-initiated signal sending.There is essentially a single main game computer that contains videodisplay controls and programs for both the dealer display and the tabletop display, audio controls and programs, game rules (including storageof multiple games if intended to be available on the machine), randomnumber generator, graphic images, game sequence controls, securitysystems, wager accounting programs, external signaling and auditfunctions, and the like. In other forms of the invention, the abovefunctions are divided between a main processor and one or moreadditional processors. The intelligence at each player position speedsup the performance of all aspects of the game by being able tocommunicate directly with the main game computer and being able toprocess information at the player position rather than merely forwardingthe information in raw form to the main game computer. Processing playerinformation at player positions frees up resources for use by the mainprocessor or processors.

A card game system may also include a suitable data and controlprocessing subsystem that is largely contained within a main controlmodule supported beneath the tabletop. The control and data processingsubsystem includes a suitable power supply for converting alternatingcurrent from the power main as controlled by a main power switch. Thepower supply transforms the alternating line current to a suitablevoltage and to a direct current supply. Power is supplied to a powerdistribution and sensor/activity electronics control circuit.Commercially available power switching and control circuits may beprovided in the form of a circuit board which is detachable, and plugsinto a board receptacle of a computer mother board or an expansion slotboard receptacle. A main game controller motherboard may include acentral microprocessor and related components well-known in the industryas computers using Intel brand Pentium® microprocessors and relatedmemory or intelligence from any other manufacturing source. A variety ofdifferent configurations and types of memory devices can be connected tothe motherboard as is well known in the art. Of particular interest isthe inclusion of two flat panel display control boards connected inexpansion slots of the motherboard. Display control boards are eachcapable of controlling the images displayed for the dealer video displayand for each of the player position display areas on the continuousdisplay screen on the table and other operational parameters of thevideo displays used in the gaming system. More specifically, the displaycontrol boards are connected to player bet interfaces circuits for theplayer stations. This arrangement also allows the display control boardsto provide necessary image display data to the display electronic drivecircuits associated with the dealing event program displays and thedealer display.

The motherboard and/or the individual player intelligent boards alsoincludes a serial port that allows stored data to be downloaded from themotherboard to a central casino computer or other additional storagedevice. In one example, each player board communicates directly with thecasino computer system. This allows card game action data to be analyzedin various ways using added detail, or by providing integration withdata from multiple tables so that cheating schemes can be identified andeliminated, and player tracking can be maintained. Player performanceand/or skill can be tracked at one table or as a compilation from gamingat multiple tables, as by using Bloodhound™ security software marketedby Shuffle Master, Inc., which may be incorporated into this automatedgaming system. Additionally, player hand analysis can be performed. Themotherboard and/or individual player intelligent boards may also have akeyboard connection port that can be used to connect a larger formatkeyboard to the system to facilitate programming and servicing of thesystem.

Although the preferred system shown does not require featuresillustrated for receiving automated player identification information,such features can alternatively be provided. Card readers such as usedwith credit cards, or other identification code reading devices can beadded in the system to allow or require player identification inconnection with play of the card game and associated recording of gameaction by one of the processors. Such a user identification interface,for example a card reader located at each player station, can beimplemented in the form of a variety of magnetic card readerscommercially available for reading user-specific identificationinformation. The user-specific information can be provided on speciallyconstructed magnetic cards issued by a casino, or magnetically codedcredit cards or debit cards frequently used with national creditorganizations such as VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, casino playercard registry, banks and other institutions. The information could alsobe provided on other writable media, such as an RFID chip with writablememory, or bar coding, as just a few examples.

Alternatively, it is possible to use so-called smart cards to provideadded processing or data storage functions in addition to mereidentification data. For example, the user identification could includecoding for available credit amounts purchased from a casino. As furtherexample, the identification card or other user-specific instrument mayinclude specially coded data indicating security information such aswould allow accessing or identifying stored security information whichmust be confirmed by the user after scanning the user identificationcard through a card reader. Such security information might include suchthings as file access numbers which allow the central processor toaccess a stored security clearance code which the user must indicateusing input options provided on displays using touch screen displays. Astill further possibility is to have participant identification using afingerprint image, eye blood vessel image reader, or other suitablebiological information to confirm identity of the user that can be builtinto the table. Still further it is possible to provide such participantidentification information by having the pit personnel manually code inthe information in response to the player indicating his or her codename or real name. Such additional identification could also be used toconfirm credit use of a smart card or transponder. All or part of thefunctions dedicated to a particular player station are controlled by theplayer station intelligence in one form of the invention. Additionally,each player station intelligence may be in communication with a casinoaccounting system.

It should also be understood that the continuous screen canalternatively be provided with suitable display cowlings or covers thatcan be used to shield display of card images from viewing by anyoneother than the player in games where that is desirable. This shieldingcan also be effected by having light-orientation elements in the panel,and some of these light-orientation elements are electronicallycontrollable. In this manner, the processor can allow general viewing ofcards in games where that is desirable or tolerated, and then alter thescreen where desired. These types of features can be provided bynanometer, micrometer or other small particulate or flake elementswithin a panel on the viewing area that are reoriented by signals fromthe processor. Alternatively, liquid crystal or photo chromatic displayscan be used to create a screening effect that would allow only viewersat specific angles of view from the screen area to view the images ofcards. Such an alternative construction may be desired in systemsdesigned for card games different from blackjack, where some or all ofthe player or dealer cards are not presented for viewing by otherparticipants or onlookers. Such display covers or cowlings can be invarious shapes and configurations as needed to prevent viewing access.It may alternatively be acceptable to use a player-controlled switchthat allows the display to be momentarily viewed and then turned off.The display can be shielded using a cover or merely by using theplayer's hands. Still further it is possible to use a touch screendisplay that would be controlled by touch to turn on and turn off.Similar shielding can be used to prevent others from viewing thedisplay.

A review of the figures will assist in a further understanding of theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a fully automated gaming table 1A of the prior art, asdisclosed in U.S. Patent Application 2003/0199316. The system 1Acomprises a vertical upright display cabinet 2A and a player bank orstation cluster arrangement 3A. The vertical display cabinet 2A has aviewing screen 7A on which images of the virtual dealer are displayed.The top 8A of the player bank arrangement 3A has individual monitorscreens 10A for each player position, as well and tabletop inserted coinacceptors 11A, and player controls 12A and 13A. There is a separate andlarger dealer's hand screen 9A on which dealer cards are displayed in aformat large enough for all players to view. Speakers 16A and 16B areprovided for sound transmission and decorative lights 14 are provided.

FIG. 3 shows an overhead view of the same prior art automated gamingsystem 1A with the viewing screen 7A shown more clearly as a CRTmonitor. It can also be seen that each player position has to form anarc cut into the semicircular player seating area 18A. FIG. 4 shows aside view of the same prior art automated gaming system of FIGS. 2 and 3where the orientation of the three different types of CRT monitors 7A,9A and 10A are shown.

FIG. 5 shows the schematic circuitry of a prior art automated system asdisclosed in 2003/0199316. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of processingcircuitry in the game device of FIG. 2. The game device housingcomprises a CPU block 20A for controlling the whole device, a pictureblock 21A for controlling the game screen display, a sound block 22A forproducing effect sounds and the like, and a subsystem 19A for readingout CD-ROM.

The CPU block 20A comprises an SCU (System Control Unit) 200, a main CPU201, RAM 202, RAM 203, a sub-CPU 204, and a CPU bus 205. The main CPU201 contains a math function similar to a DSP (Digital SignalProcessing) so that application software can be executed rapidly.

The RAM 202 is used as the work area for the main CPU 201. The RAM 203stores the initialization program used for the initialization process.The SCU 200 controls the busses 205, 206 and 207 so that data can beexchanged smoothly among the VEPs 220 and 230, the DSP 241, and othercomponents.

The SCU 200 contains a DMA controller, allowing data (polygon data) forcharacter(s) in the game to be transferred to the VRAM in the pictureblock 21. This allows the game machine or other application software tobe executed rapidly. The sub-CPU 204 is termed an SMPC (System Manager &Peripheral Control). Its functions include collecting sound recognitionsignals from the sound recognition circuit 15 or image recognitionsignals from the image recognition circuit 16 in response to requestsfrom the main CPU 201. On the basis of sound recognition signals orimage recognition signals provided by the sub-CPU 204, the main CPU 201controls changes in the expression of the character(s) appearing on thegame screen, or performs image control pertaining to game development,for example. The picture block 21 comprises a first VDP (Video DisplayProcessor) 220 for rendering TV game polygon data characters and polygonscreens overlaid on the background image, and a second VDP 230 forrendering scrolling background screens, performing image synthesis ofpolygon image data and scrolling image data based on priority (imagepriority order), performing clipping, and the like. The first VDP 220houses a system register 220 a, and is connected to the VRAM (DRAM) 221and to two frame buffers 222 and 223. Data for rendering the polygonsused to represent TV game characters and the like is sent to the firstVDP 220 through the main CPU 220, and the rendering data written to theVRAM 221 is rendered in the form of 16- or 8-bit pixels to the renderingframe buffer 222 (or 223). The data in the rendered frame buffer 222 (or223) is sent to the second VDP 230 during display mode. In this way,buffers 222 and 223 are used as frame buffers, providing a double bufferdesign for switching between rendering and display for each individualframe. Regarding information for controlling rendering, the first VDP220 controls rendering and display in accordance with the instructionsestablished in the system register 220a of the first VDP 220 by the mainCPU 201 via the SCU 200.

The second VDP 230 houses a register 230a and color RAM 230b, and isconnected to the VRAM 231. The second VDP 230 is connected via the bus207 to the first VDP 220 and the SCU 200, and is connected to pictureoutput terminals Voa through Vog through memories 232 a through 232 gand encoders 260 a through 260 g. The picture output terminals Voathrough Vog are connected through cables to the display 7 and thesatellite displays 10.

Scrolling screen data for the second VDP 230 is defined in the VRAM 231and the color RAM 230 b by the CPU 201 through the SCU 200. Informationfor-controlling image display is similarly defined in the second VDP230. Data defined in the VRAM 231 is read out in accordance with thecontents established in the register 230 a by the second VDP 230, andserves as image data for the scrolling screens that portray thebackground for the character(s). Image data for each scrolling screenand image data of texture-mapped polygon data sent from the first VDP220 is assigned display priority (priority) in accordance with thesettings in the register 230 a, and the final image screen data issynthesized.

Where the display image data is in palette format, the second VDP 230reads out the color data defined in the color RAM 230 b in accordancewith the values thereof, and produces the display color data. Color datais produced for each display 7 and 9 and for each satellite display 10.Where display image data is in RGB format, the display image data isused as-is as display color data. The display color data is temporarilystored in memories 232 a-232 f and is then output to the encoders 260a-260 f. The encoders 260 a-260 f produce picture signals by addingsynchronizing signals to the image data, which is then sent via thepicture output terminals Voa through Vog to the display 7 and thesatellite displays 10. In this way, the images required to conduct aninteractive game are displayed on the screens of the display 7 and thesatellite displays 10.

The sound block 22A comprises a DSP 240 for performing sound synthesisusing PCM format or FM format, and a CPU 241 for controlling the DSP240. Sound data generated by the DSP 240 is converted into 2-channelsound signals by a D/A converter 270 and is then presented to audiooutput terminals Ao via interface 271. These audio output terminals Aoare connected to the input terminals of an audio amplification circuit.Thus, the sound signals presented to the audio output terminals Ao areinput to the audio amplification circuit (not shown). Sound signalsamplified by the audio amplification circuit drive the speakers 16A and16B. The subsystem 23A comprises a CD-ROM drive 19b, a CD-I/F 280, andCPU 281, an MPEG-AUDIO section 282, and an MPEG-PICTURE section 283. Thesubsystem 23 has the function of reading application software providedin the form of a CD-ROM and reproducing the animation. The CD-ROM drive19B reads out data from CD-ROM. The CPU 281 controls the CD-ROM drive19B and performs error correction on the data read out by it. Data readfrom the CD-ROM is sent via the CD-I/F 280, bus 206, and SCU 200 to themain CPU 201 that uses it as the application software. The MPEG-AUDIOsection 282 and the MPEG-PICTURE section 283 are used to expand datathat has been compressed in MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) format.By using the MPEG-AUDIO section 282 and the MPEG-PICTURE section 283 toexpand data that has been compressed in MPEG format, it is possible toreproduce motion picture. It should be noted herein that there aredistinct processor for the CPU block, video block, sound block, CD-ROMdrive and Memory with their independent PCU's. This requires significantcomputing power and still has dumb (no intelligence) player inputcomponents.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an automated table system 101 useful topractice the game play methods of the present invention. The system 101has an upright dealer display cabinet 102 with a top 104 and the dealerviewing screen 107 which may be any form of display screen such as aCRT, plasma screen, liquid crystal screen, LED screen or the like. Theplayer bank arrangement 103 has a continuous display screen 109 on whichimages of cards being dealt 105, dealer's cards 108, bets wagered 111and touch screen player input functions 110 are displayed. Other playerinput functions may be provided on a panel 106 which might acceptcurrency, coins, tokens, identification cards, player tracking cards,ticket in/ticket out acceptance, and the like.

FIG. 7 shows an electronic/processor schematic for a MultiPlayerPlatform (MPP) gaming system according to the presently described. TheMPP Game engine (dealer) comprises a Heber Pluto 5 casino game board 200(Motorola 68340 board) operating off the PC Platform Pentium® 4 MPP GameDisplay processor 202. The game display processor operates on a WindowsXP platform. The respective subcomponents on the Pentium 4 processor arelabeled to show the apportionment of activity on the motherboard and thecomponent parts added to the board. As is shown, the game engine has anUninterruptible Power Supply 204. The game display processor directsactivity on the Speakers, directs activities onto the MPP Game Servicepanel, and the Plasma Monitor Card Table display. It is important tonote that all communications are direct from the game display processor,freeing up resources available to the game engine processor.

FIG. 8 shows the electronic/processing schematics of the MPP PlayerStation Intelligence board (Heber Pluto 5 Casino, Motorola 68340), eachof which player stations (one for each player position) is in directconnection to the MPP Game Engine (Dealer), which is in turn directlyconnected to the PC Platform. (not shown in this Figure). EachIntelligence board receives information for all player input systemsspecific to that player station, such as the shown Coin Acceptor, CoinHopper, Bill validator, Ticket Printer, Touch Screen and/or DisplayButton Panel, Dual Wire Ticket-in-Ticket-Out Printing and SAS System(SAS is one exemplary standard communications protocol used by a numberof casinos central computer systems.) A significant benefit resides inthe use of the independent Intelligence boards at each player positionbeing in direct communication with the MPP Game Engine 300, as opposedto each individual player position button panel being dead or inactiveuntil authorized by the main game processor, as previous automatedgaming systems were constructed.

The above-described architecture is also an improvement in providing asystem with not only the intelligence at each player position, but alsoin redistributing processing capability for functions among variousprocessing components within the gaming system. In one architecturalformat, all functions of the gaming engine, except for the playerlocalized intelligence functions, are consolidated into a single PC(e.g., the Pentium 4 shown in the Figures). This would include all gamefunctions, player video functions, dealer video functions, dealer audiofunctions, security, central reporting (to a casino's central computer,for example), currency and debit functions, alarm functions, lightingfunctions, and all other peripherals on the system, except for thelocalized player functions. Alternatively, all functions requiringcommunication with the casino's main computer system are located on theplayer station intelligent boards. In this system, the main gameprocessor would talk directly with the player intelligent boards,preferably in the same novel communication format described below.

An alternative system is shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, where there is adealer engine processor intermediate the main game PC and the Playerintelligent boards. Both systems are a distinct improvement over theprior art, but with the higher power available for PC's, and with theease of programming a PC as opposed to an embedded system, theconsolidation of the game functions and the ability of the main gameengine to communicate with each of the player positions is enabled. Asshown in FIG. 8, the Game display processor 300 is preferably a Pentium®4 PC and is separate from the main processor. With the playerintelligent boards, the main game PC can receive packets of informationfrom each player station as events occur rather than having to poll eachplayer position on a regular basis 100 times to gain the specificinformation for each player input that may be made.

A description of the Heber Board, (an exemplary board that can be usedas a player station processor and/or game engine processor 16A) acommercially available intelligent processing board is as follows. TheHeber Board is known for its reliability and flexibility, especially forthe Pluto 5 family of gaming products. The Pluto 5 is the controller ofchoice for the global gaming industry. Flexibility comes from a set offeatures built into the Pluto 5 (Casino) controller, and from the choiceof optional add-on boards that can be used to adapt the Pluto family tobest suit individual applications. In the area of interfacing, there arethree distinct boards, each of which serves a particular function inhelping the Pluto 5 to connect with the world outside:

RS485 Board

RS485 is an industrial-grade board for linking multiple systems inunforgiving circumstances for centralized information gathering. TheHeber RS485 board is fully opto-isolated to provide complete circuitsafety when used within ‘electrically noisy’ environments. The RS485board uses a single RS232 connection to the Pluto 5 board and allnecessary power is also derived through this link. Two header connectorsmay be provided for the RS485 channel to allow daisy chain connectionsbetween multiple systems.

HII/ccTalk Board

This board specializes in communicating with industry standard note/coinacceptors and payout hoppers. Equipped with dual communication channels,each port is configurable to use either the HII format to connect withMars® coin/note acceptors or the ccTalk format for Money Controls®hoppers. Both channels are controlled via a single RS232 connection tothe Pluto 5 board and all necessary power is also derived through thislink. The Heber FastTrack™ package contains modular library functionsfor passing information via these channels.

Four Channel Relay Board

The relay board allows control of medium- to high-level loads such assolenoids, without risk of damage or interference to the Pluto 5circuitry. Four power-switching channels are available with absoluteisolation from the Pluto 5 control signals. Each relay is capable ofswitching direct or alternating currents of up to 7 A at a maximumvoltage of 250V.

Like the Pluto 5 board itself, its modular options have been usedextensively so that their designs are fully developed and entirelystable. The options that are specified are consistently provided in massquantities. As with all Pluto products, programming for the modularoptions is straightforward. This is enhanced with the use of the Pluto 5Enhanced Development Kit and also the FastTrack™ package. Between them,these kits contain all of the low level and high level programming toolsand library functions needed for gaming applications. These systems canbe provided through a Pluto 5 Enhanced Development Kit datasheet80-15353-7 (Heber Limited, Belvedere Mill, Chalford, Stroud,Gloucestershire, GL6 8NT, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1453 886000 Fax: +44 (0) 1453885013 www.heber.co.uk. Specifications for the various boards areidentified below.

RS485 Interface

Host Interface

-   RS232 connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino-   All power provided via RS232 link from host system    Communication Port-   Dual four-way Molex 0.1″ KK headers for daisy chaining purposes    Dimensions-   80×61 mm (3.14×2.4″)    Part Number-   Opto-isolated RS485 board 01-14536-2    HII/ccTalk Interface    Host Interface-   RS232 connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino-   All power provided via RS232 link from host system    Communication Port-   Single or dual 10 way header connectors    Dimensions-   101.6×69.85 mm (4×2.8″)    Part Number-   Dual channel HII/ccTalk board-   01-16171-2    Four Channel Relay Board    Host Interface-   Connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino via ribbon cable using four    standard output lines-   All power provided via ribbon cable link from host system    Switching Capabilities-   Up to 250V AC or DC@7 A maximum per channel    Dimensions-   80×61 mm (3.14×2.4″)    Part Number-   Four channel relay board-   01-15275-1-   80-16949-1

One proposed hardware configuration uses a “satellite” intelligentprocessor at each player position. The player station satelliteprocessor is substantially the same as the primary game engineprocessor, a Heber Pluto 5 Casino board. The satellite processorsreceive instruction from the primary game engine but then handle thecommunications with player station peripherals independently. Eachsatellite processor communicates with only the peripherals at the sameplayer station. Thus each player station has a dedicated satelliteprocessor communicating with only the peripherals at the same playerstation and with the casino's central computer system. The peripheralsare, but not limited to: Slot accounting Systems, Bill Validator, TicketPrinter, Coin Acceptor, Coin Hopper, Meters, Button panel or LCD touchscreen and various doors and keys.

The satellite processors run proprietary software to enablefunctionality. The player station software is comprised of two modules,the first being an OS similar to the game engine Operating System andthe second being station software that handles peripheralcommunications. The software may be installed on EPROMs for eachsatellite processor. The primary method of communication between thesatellite processors and the primary game engine is via serialconnectivity and the previously described protocol. In one example,information packets are prepared by the satellite processors and aresent to the game engine processor on the happening of an event.

The proposed game engine provides communication to the player stationsto set the game state, activate buttons and receive button and meterinformation for each player station. Communication is via a serialconnection to each of the stations. The new protocol for communicationbetween the game engine, game display and player stations is an eventdriven packet-for-packet bi-directional protocol with Cyclic RedundancyCheck (CRC) verification. This is distinguished from the Sega systemthat used continuous polling. This communication method frees upresources in the same engine processor because the processor no longerneeds to poll the satellites continuously or periodically.

The new protocol uses embedded acknowledgement and sequence checking.The packet-for-packet protocol uses a Command Packet, Response Packetand a Synchronization Packet as illustrated below. The protocol usesstandard ASCII characters to send data and a proprietary verificationmethod. Format of Command Packet STX SEQ DATA LENGTH DATA CRC-16 ETX 1 13 3-999 5 1

Format of Response Packet STX SEQ DSP PRV ETX 1 1 1 1 1

Format of Synchronization Response Packet STX MTS MRS ETX 1 1 1 1

Legend For Figures STX Start of Packet Character SEQ Sequence # (Cyclesfrom ‘0’ thru ‘9’) LEN Length of Data Area (‘003’ thru ‘999’) DATA ASCIIData Fields Separated with ‘|’ Character CRC CRC-16 Value (‘0000’ thru‘65535’) Cyclic Redundancy Check ETX End of Packet Character DSPDisposition Code (‘A’ ACK, ‘N’ NAK, or ‘I’ Invalid Sequence) PRVSequence Number of Last ACK'ed Packet (0 thru 9) MTS Main's CurrentTransmit Sequence Number MRS Main's Current Receive Sequence Number

The Command Packet and Response Packet are used during primary gamecommunications. The protocol uses redundant acknowledgement. Forexample: The packet is initially acknowledged when first received by therecipient. The same recipient will resend anther acknowledgement in thenext communication. This second acknowledgement is the ‘PRV’ data in theresponse packet.

The communications between the Game Engine and the Player Stationintelligence is preferably a transaction-based protocol. Either devicecan start a transaction, which is why it is essential that there be anintelligent board at each player position. All packets of informationmay be sent in any acceptable format, with ASCII format preferred as amatter of designer choice. All command packets usually contain asequence number that is incremented after each successful packetexchange. The Game Engine and the Player Station intelligence usesequence numbers that are independent of each other. The sequence numberkeeps the communications in synchronization. This synchronization methodis described later.

The command packet is used to send various commands such as Inputs,Lamps, Doors, Errors, Chirp, Game Results, player input, coinacceptance, player identification, credit acceptance, wagers, etc. Thecommand packet format may be, by ay of a non-limiting example:

1<STX><Sequence number><Data Length><Data><CRC-16><ETX>

The data format with in the command packet may be:

-   -   <Address><Command><Field 1>|<Field 2>|<Field n>|

The response packet format may be:

-   -   <STX><Sequence number><Disposition><Previous ACK><ETX>

The sync request packet format may be:

-   -   <SYN>

The sync response packet format may be:

-   -   <STX><Mains Current Transmission Sequence><Mains Current Receive        Sequence><ETX>

A major strength of the protocol is its resilience of the Game Protocoland its ability to free up resources within the game engine. Thoseresources can in turn be used to provide more intricate games, andmulti-media affects.

Synchronization Method:

The satellite and host must become synchronized in order to provide forreliable communications using packet numbers. To facilitate this, anovel protocol synchronization method that is used. Upon applying powerto the satellite, or after a communications failure, the satelliteautomatically enters into synchronization mode. In the synchronizationmode the satellite sends out the ASCII SYN (0×16) character about everysecond. It is expecting a special response packet containing transmitand receive packet sequence numbers to be used from that point on. Afterreceiving the special response packet, the sequence numbers are usedas-is, and not incremented until a successful packet exchange iscompleted. After communications is synchronized, the sequence numbersare incremented after each packet is successfully sent or received.

As was noted before, the main game processor may contain information,data, programming and other necessary functions to enable the play ofmultiple games off the same machine. For example, the main game enginemay have rules and commands that will enable play of high and low gamesof the present invention and other card games. The system may becontrolled so that different games may be played at different times oncommand of the casino or players.

The capabilities of technology are constantly expanding, and theimprovements in technology should not be considered to avoid theunderlying invention of the play of this game. For example, playermonitoring systems, security systems, integrated systems where shufflersidentify the number of cards and/or identify the specific cards andtheir positions in the play of the game are contemplated in the practiceof the present invention.

There are a number of advantages in the game of the present invention.The fold rate on this game is approximately 21%, which is lower than thefold rate in other known games, such as Three Card Poker®. This featureis believed to attract and retain players, making the game moreappealing to casinos.

Players win this game approximately over 40% of the time, which exceedsthe expectation of many players, and increases player appeal. In somesituations, e.g., when the player has a qualifying hand, additionalbetting opportunities are available, such as tripling down on the Ante,or even wagering 20× or 15× the Ante increasing player appeal.

By varying the number of cards made available to the dealer/bankerand/or players, in forming the hands, by requiring the dealer's/banker'shand to qualify or by eliminating dealer qualification, by modifying thepayouts and winning hand combinations possible on the bonus bet, byadding the Super Bonus bet etc., the payouts can be made to pay as highas 200:1, 500:1, or 2000:1, e.g., for Royal Flushes. This feature isbelieved to attract and retain more poker players.

1-46. (canceled)
 47. A multi-player platform that provides multipleplayer positions for live players to engage in an interactive stud pokergame with a virtual dealer and virtual cards comprising at least twoplayer positions that enable live players to place wagers on anunderlying poker-type game, a display system for showing a virtualdealer, a display system for showing at least the virtual cards used inplay of the underlying poker-type game, and a processor that containsthe rules of the underlying poker-type game, the processor enabling playfor each player on the underlying poker-type game according to thefollowing rules: playing a wagering card game for a number of playersusing standard playing cards having a standard rank, said game involvingstandard poker hand rankings and comprising the steps of: each playerplacing a wager to participate in the game; dealing a second number ofcards to each player, said second number of cards being 6 and beinggreater than the number of cards to be used in determination of a 5-cardpoker rank hand for each player; the dealer utilizing fewer than all ofthe cards dealt to form a resulting single banker hand; each playerutilizing fewer than all of the cards dealt to form a resulting player'shand for each player, wherein the number of cards utilized in theresulting player's hands and the resulting banker's hand are equal; andresolving each player hand against the dealer's hand according topredetermined game rules.
 48. The platform according to claim 47,wherein six cards are dealt to each player and seven cards are dealt toeach dealer.
 49. The platform according to claim 48, wherein the dealerand each player marks a best five-card poker hand.
 50. The platformaccording to claim 47 and further comprising the player having an optionof making an additional side bet on the occurrence of a predetermined atleast one winning bonus combination.
 51. The platform according to claim50, wherein the at least one bonus combination is a five-card pokerhand.
 52. The platform according to claim 47 wherein the player isrequired to make an additional play bet to stay in the game, and whereinthe additional play bet is between 1× and 25× the Ante.
 53. Amulti-player platform that provides multiple player positions for liveplayers to engage in a stud poker game with a virtual dealer and virtualcards comprising at least two player positions that enable live playersto place wagers on an underlying poker-type game, a display system forshowing a virtual dealer, a display system for showing the virtual cardsused in play of the underlying poker-type game, and a processor thatcontains the rules of the underlying poker-type game, the processorenabling play for each player on the underlying poker-type gameaccording to the following rules using standard poker hand ranking: eachplayer placing a wager to participate in the game; each player placing afirst wager to participate in a live casino game; a dealer dealing sixcards to each player; the dealer dealing seven cards to the dealer as abanker's hand; each player optionally folding or making an additionalbet that is a multiple of the first wager, wherein the multiplicationfactor is at least 1 and selected by the player; and resolving the wageraccording to predetermined game rules.
 54. The platform according toclaim 53, wherein both the players and dealer exclude cards to form abest five-card poker hand.
 55. The platform according to claim 54,wherein the multiplication factor is between 1× and 25×.
 56. Theplatform of claim 53 wherein the rules additionally provide anopportunity for the player to place at least one side bet.
 57. Amulti-player platform that provides multiple player positions for liveplayers to engage in a stud poker game with a virtual dealer and virtualcards comprising at least two player positions that enable live playersto place wagers on an underlying poker-type game, a display system forshowing a virtual dealer, a display system for showing at least thevirtual cards used in play of the underlying poker-type game, and aprocessor that contains the rules of the underlying poker-type game, theprocessor enabling play for each player on the underlying poker-typegame according to the following rules with a virtual single, typicalfifty-two card poker deck, the cards having standard rank and value,said game involving standard five-card poker wager-resolving handranking outcomes and comprising the steps of: each player placing afirst wager to participate in a live casino game; a dealer dealing sixcards to each player; the dealer dealing seven cards to the dealer as abanker's hand; each player optionally folding or making an additionalbet that is a multiple of the Ante wager, at the option of the player,but not necessarily equal to the Ante wager; and resolving the wageraccording to predetermined game rules.
 58. The platform according toclaim 11, wherein the Ante and Bet are combined.
 59. The platformaccording to claim 11, wherein the player is paid according to a paytable when the player hand ranking exceeds the dealer's hand ranking.60. The platform according to claim 57, wherein players are paid anautomatic bonus on the Ante for certain predetermined high-rankinghands.
 61. The platform according to claim 57 wherein the multiple isbetween 1× and 25× the Ante.
 62. An automated wagering gaming eventsystem comprising: at least two distinct video displays, a first displayfor showing a dealer in a card game and at least a second displayshowing at least playing cards to individual players; at least oneprocessor for enabling play of the wagering gaming event; multipleplayer positions to enable multiple players to play the game; wherein atleast one processor can feed at least two different multiple videoimages and merge the at least two multiple video images to form acomposite image of a dealer against a background, wherein the backgroundcomprises at least one dynamic image and the system displays imagesenabling play of a game according to the following rules: playing awagering card game for a number of players using standard playing cardshaving a standard rank, said game involving standard poker hand rankingsand comprising the steps of: each player placing an Ante wager toparticipate in the game; dealing a first number of cards comprising atleast a part of a first hand to each player; dealing a second number ofcards comprising at least part of a second hand to the dealer, dealingan additional card or cards, if necessary to complete the player anddealer hands; after viewing his cards, each player either folding ormaking a play bet that is a multiple of at least I X the Ante, themultiple selected by the player from a range of multiples offered in thewagering game; each player discarding at least one card from the playerhand; the dealer discarding two cards from the dealer hand; comparingthe hand values using poker rank as a criteria; and awarding all playerswhose hand is of a higher rank than the dealer and banker hand a payout.63. The system of claim 62 wherein said first and second number of atleast part of a first hand of cards are not equal.
 64. The systemaccording to claim 63 wherein the number of cards in the dealer hand isseven and the number of cards in the player hands is six, wherein theplayers and dealer use their best five cards for a highest-ranking pokerhand.
 65. The system according to claim 63 and further comprisingdealing at least one community card used to complete at least the playerhands.
 66. The system of claim 65 wherein the community card is used tocomplete the dealer hand.